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“The Synaxis of Saints is the main feast of the metropolis”translated

September 7, 2026 · 1 min read

With the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus', a new date for the celebration in honor of the Council of Simbirsk Saints has been established - the second Sunday of September. Since 2011, the celebration of the Council took place on the same day as the glorification and discovery of the relics of Blessed Andrei of Simbirsk - June 3, New Style. Why did a new date appear for the main holiday of the Simbirsk Metropolis? How many names are now included in the Cathedral of Simbirsk Saints? We talk with Metropolitan Longin of Simbirsk and Novospassky.

– Vladyka, on what principle are saints included in Councils?

– The Cathedral of Saints of a particular metropolis (diocese) includes the names of ascetics who labored in this church region for a significant period of time and/or died here to the Lord and were buried. The saints of the Simbirsk land are the saints closest to us, who lived in the same cities and villages as us, who served and worked here. Most of them are new martyrs. These are people who had perfect love for God and people and, during the years of persecution, gave their lives for the sake of this love. Now they stand before the Throne of God, and we believe that through their prayers the Lord preserves our land.

– How did the composition of the Simbirsk Cathedral change...

Source: Site: Симбирская епархия · Read the full story →

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💬 Comments (3) 🌐 Show original

Олег Голубев

Thank you, interesting interview. It’s good that now the Synaxis of the Simbirsk Saints is celebrated on the second Sunday of September, and not together with the Day of St. Andrew of Simbirsk on June 3. We often have passengers from those regions on our bus, I wonder how many names are in the Cathedral now and which of the new martyrs entered there.

Константин Козлов

Thank you, interesting interview. It’s good that the date was moved to the second Sunday in September, otherwise on June 3 everything merged with the memory of Blessed Andrew. Oleg is right, I would like to know the exact number of names in the Cathedral now and which of the new martyrs have entered there in recent years. We also have our own locally revered ones in Tula, but the Simbirsk ones are closer to the Volga region.

Ирина Соловьёва

Thank you, Oleg, I’m also glad that the date was moved - now we can separately honor all the Simbirsk saints. The Council now includes 23 names, and most are truly new martyrs: for example, Hieromartyr Veniamin (Voskresensky), Metropolitan of Simbirsk, and others who suffered in the 30s. Do you often carry passengers from Ulyanovsk or from which villages?